Push Your Limit
by StoryReader888
Summary: An Initial D Story following the original story line Reviews are loved 3
1. Act 1

**ACT 1**

Mt. Akina

The roads coil around the hills like a snake poised to strike. A deadly mountain, where one wrong move could send you flying towards a certain death. Treacherous and challenging roads, where you prove whether or not you have what it takes to tackle the mountain, and not find yourself upside down in a ditch wondering what went wrong (if you're lucky). To act cocky or overconfident is a fool's bet.

Jay knew these facts well, having run the mountain with her best friend on his tofu deliveries for the past 5 years.

**.: **** :.**

_Knock, Knock._

"Jay?" the brown haired teen stood in the doorway of her bedroom, hand still on the doorknob.

"Tak?" Jay raised an eyebrow in question, turning her attention away from the empty desk before her to the teenager standing at her bedroom door.

"Iggy roped me into going to tonight, to hang with Cole. Wanna come?"

She shrugged, leaning back in her chair and pulling out a cigarette from the pack laying on her desk, "Sure. Got nothin' better to do."

"Cole's picking us up at the bus station at eight." he announced before turning around and leaving the room.

"Hmmm. This may just turn out to be an interesting night." Jay mused, taking another puff of her cigarette.

**.: **** :.**

"You goin' out this late, Tak? Jay?" Tak's father asked, not looking up from the newspaper he was reading. He was leaning against the window outside, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips.

"Yeah. Iggy and I made plans to hang out for awhile. Jay's coming with us." Tak answered, turning around to face his dad.

"You two going out at night doesn't concern me. You getting up in the morning does." Bunta responded.

Jay chuckled, a grin on her lips as she looked away from the two. Bunta had a very good point. They weren't really morning people, Jay less of one than Tak. It was tiresome and troublesome for the pair to wake up so early, but it was something they had been doing for awhile, something they didn't have much choice in. You'd think the two would of gotten used to it by now.

"Don't freak out about it, Dad. You know we'll get up." Tak turned back around. "So, I guess we'll see you later." he started to walk off and Jay followed close behind.

"See ya, Bunta~" she grinned, folding her hands behind her head.

**.: **** :.**

"AHHHHHH! AH-AAHHHHHH!"

"Will you please shut up for five seconds! He's trying to concentrate on driving!"

Tak was screaming like a little girl, clutching tightly onto Jay as if his life depended on it. Cole was driving, a smirk on his face as if he was doing something worth gold. Iggy was sitting in the passenger seat, both hands clutching the hand grip above the passenger side door. He was busy yelling at Tak, thoughts of him being "uncool" clear through the expression on his face and the tone of his voice. Jay and Tak were sat in the back seat, Tak freaking out and Jay annoyed.

Her eye twitched as said male clung to her, arms wrapped tightly around her neck. "How the hell did I get stuck with this moron?" she muttered under her breath, eyes cast towards the window. She loved the blur of the browns, silvers and greens as they passed at a speed far above normal. It was one of the things in life that she adored and held close to her heart. Though, she'd never admit that to anyone.

"Yeah, whatever! I'm trying to concentrate on staying alive!" Tak retorted, voice filled with panic.

"Chill out. Everyone feels like they're going to toss their cookies the first time they ride with a street racer." Cole grinned, clearly enjoying the scene in the backseat, "Hang on. We'll take the hairpin in second." He shifted gears and floored the gas petal.

"AHHHHH!"

"Can't you scream a little quiter?"

Jay sighed before letting her lips curl up into a grin at the two best friends. They were a trip when they were together. But Jay couldn't help but notice how Iggy's eyes were snapped shut, beads of sweat on his face; he was just as worried, he was just being quiter than Tak was.

**.: **** :.**

Tak was sitting on the ground, back leaning against the railing, slunched over and breathing heavy. The SpeedStars, Iggy and Jay were standing around him, worried looks on their faces (minues Jay, who was looking around boredly).

"You okay? Man, Tak, I had no idea you were gonna freak like that. I know I was pushing the car a little hard tonight but, come on!" Cole stood infront of Tak's hunched form, the back of his hands on his sides as he leaned over the heavily breathing teen.

Iggy huffed, kneeling down next to Tak. "You're a whimp! Even worse, you're a girl!" Jay growled, eyes narrowed at the moronic older teenager who either didn't notice her glare or didn't care. She made a mental note to kick his ass about that one later. "Don't tell me you're the type that spazzes out on a roller coaster!"

"I don't think roller coasters are scary at all, okay? That has nothing to do with it. Why don't you mind your own buisness?" Tak responded, having calmed down. "I don't know, Iggy. Even if I were to try and explain it to you, I don't think you'd get it. I have this fear." his voice lowered, almost to a whisper.

"Huh?" Iggy cocked his head to the side confused. Jay listened in, leaning against a nearby street light and lighting up the cigarette that hung between her lips.

**.: **** :.**

"Looks like we got a few visiters." Cole announced, hands in his pockets as he looked over at the arriving cars.

Tak was back on his feet, acting completely normal with Iggy at his side. Jay was stood in the back, hat pulled down to cover her purple orbs. She could smell the trouble beginning to brew, and it was a fine smell indeed.

The group of cars stopped infront of the group, the doors opening to reveal their drivers.

Cole stared at the team name written in red on the side of the yellow FD that led the way. _The RedSuns? Those guys are the fastest team in Akagi!_

The door to the FD opened, and out stepped a blonde haired male.

Jay pushed her hat up slightly with her index finger, eyes narrowed at the blonde. She knew full well who he was. Most people did, if they knew anything about street racing.

The door to the white FC opened, and out stepped a blue haired male, older than the first. He nodded to the younger male, who seemed to take the lead. Though, she knew he wasn't the leader, even if he acted like he was.

"All right, listen up! We're members of the team known as the Akagi RedSuns. Now don't get your panties in a bunch, but we're here to find out who's the fastest team, or who's the fastest driver, on this mountain. We want the top dog."

Jay scoffed, pulling her hat back down. _Cocky rich bitch_.

Cole, who stood tall and proud, spoke up, catching the attention of the RedSuns' drivers. "We're the Akina SpeedStars. You want the fastest on the mountain, you've found 'em. So what do you want to do about it?"

Jay attempted not to laugh. Cole was acting so tough, but he didn't know who he was dealing with. She had to admire his courage, though. Or maybe that was stupidity and pride?

The two brothers looked at each other, smirking before turning their attention back to the group. Clearly, they were just as amused. "Chill out there, Ace, no biggie. We're just looking for a little friendly competition. To be fair, we'll even set the meet on your course."

The SpeedStars were shocked, confused as to why the RedSuns would agree to race on their turf, when they've never even driven before. It gave them confidence, made them feel like they stood more of a chance to win. But Jay knew that that would be their downfall. No matter what the condition, over confidence will get you in the end. Just like karma, it's a real _bitch_.

"Wow. This is going to be unbelievable." Iggy grinned, eyes sparkling and hands clutched infront of him. Tak was looking on with a bored expression, having no real interest in what was happening around him.

"Here's the deal." one of the other drivers stepped forward. He looked like an advisor for the team, "We usually run only with dudes we know, but it's gettin' kinda stale, ya know? We thought that running against other teams would give us a new challenge. We can hang with some new drivers, maybe pick up a few tips, who knows! It might help us all polish our skills. Starting out, we'll all run together. Then each team will pick one driver to represent. They'll compete in both the uphill and downhill. Whoever wins, wins. What's important is developing a bond between the two teams. So, what'd you think? You boys up for it?"

"Che. Bond, my ass." Jay scoffed, looking away from the group. She didn't notice the blue haired male staring over at her with curious eyes. Either that, or she just plain didn't care.

The SpeedStars were looking cautious. The deal sounded too good, afterall. "I guess when he puts it that way, it makes it sorta hard to say no."

"Yeah." Kenji nodded in agreement.

"Cool. Then what'd you say we meet back here next saturday at... ten o'clock?" the advisor spoke up.

"All right, we'll be here."

"What do you say tonight we take it easy on each other and take a few practice runs?" The blonde suggested, an air of arrogance surrounding him.

"Did ya hear that, Tak?" Iggy flipped out, holding tightly onto Tak's plain white t-shirt. "How cool is this?"

Tak stared at his friend blankly, not understanding why he was getting so excited.

The RedSuns took off first.

"They're just trying to intimidate us!" Kenji said, fist held out infront of him. "Let's show 'em what we got."

"Yeah!" the rest of the team agreed. Everyone got into their respective vehicles and took off, determined to show up the so called _fastest_ team in Akagi.

"So, now what, Cole?" Iggy asked after everyone else had taken off.

"Now I use a microscope on the dudes known as the fastest in Akagi; the Takahashi brothers."

_Yep_, Jay concluded. It was just stupidity and pride.

"The Takahashi Brothers? You mean the famous street racers who were written about in all the magazines?" Iggy asked, shocked.

Jay stood at Tak's side, listening in on their conversation. Of course, she kept her smart ass comments to herself, even though she had a few colorful words to utter about the _famous_ Takahashi brothers.

"That's right. They're also known as the Rotary brothers." Cole hopped into his car, feeling pumped and ready to show them up.

"Hang on a sec, Cole, we'll jump in." Iggy reached out for the door handle, but stopped upon hearing Cole's voice.

"Sorry boys, when I make a serious run I have one rule: No Passengers. Wait here, I'll come back and pick you up later." With that said, he took off, leaving the three alone in the dark.

"Awww!" Iggy groaned, kneeling down and clutching his head, "Oh man! This seriously blows. We're the only losers in the world without a rig."

"Yeah. Hey, Iggy? What's the big deal about street racing, anyway?"

"Huh?" he looked up at him.

"I just don't get it. Everyone gets all flipped out about it."

Iggy stood up, hands balled into a fist as he stared at the clueless Tak. "You hear that sound, right? Tires screeching, engines blaring, the cars so close to each other the drivers can smell each others' armpits! Are you having a brainfart, what's not to get amped about?"

Jay facepalmed, muttering an "idiot" under her breath.

Tak blinked, still confused about what his best friend was saying. "Yeah.. I guess.."

**.: **** :.**

The SpeedStars had returned from their run, currently grouped together where they had previously met earlier that night. They had been smoked by the RedSuns. Even their second stringers were too good for the SpeedStars.

"They're amazing. They're just so much faster than we are."

"I can't believe we got schooled as bad as we did, especially on our own turf."

"They put serious jack in their suspentions and they got power. Face it, there's no way we can compete with the RedSuns."

"But we can't turn down a challenge on our own turf!"

"He's right! We can't back out now! We'll be the laughing stock of the whole region!"

"Yeah, well unless you have a better suggestion, we're gonna get our butts kicked."

After listening to the team's comments, Cole finally stepped in, gaining the undivided attention of the group. "Look, it's getting late, guys. Why don't we all hook up tomorrow and talk about our options?"

**.: **** :.**

Cole was taking the trio home. Iggy in front, and Jay and Tak in the back. He was driving normally, clearly bummed out about not standing a chance against the RedSuns. It didn't come as much of a surprise to Jay. She knew all about the Takahashi brothers. They wouldn't be on a team that was easily beat, if at all.

"Street racers don't take to losing too well. It's a feeling that never goes away. There's nothing worse than losing to an outsider on your own home ground. There's an unwritten law for street racers: Protect your turf."

Iggy was really bummed, as well, unhappy about how his (dream) team was going to lose in such a horrid manner. Tak and Jay were listening closely, absorbing every word, but not really thinking about the letters that he uttered.


	2. Act 2

**ACT 2**

_Bring. Bring._

"Hello? Fujiwara Tofu Shop." Pause. "Hey, Tak! You plannin' to sleep all day? Wake up! Phone's for you!" Bunta called from downstairs. Jay yawned as she sat at the table in the living room, infront of the TV. Once she and Tak had come back from making the tofu deliveries, she hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Instead, she just decided to stay up with Bunta.

"Tell Iggy I'll call back!" Tak rubbed his hair and yawned.

"I'd pick up the phone, Tak." Bunta responded. Jay looked over at him curiously, but she was too tired to ask who it was.

With another yawn, Tak pulled himself out of bed and down the stairs, picking up the phone that his dad had left on hold. "Hey, Iggy. What's goin' on?" seconds later, his eyes widened slightly, a look of surprise on his face. Apparently, it wasn't Iggy. With a shrug, Jay layed her head down on the wooden table, a yawn passing her lips as her purple orbs closed.

**.: **** :.**

"Hey, Tak!" Natalie, a friend of Tak's, waved to get his attention. She had been the one to call him, and had asked him to meet up with her in town. "I'm over here!" after running down the stairs to get to him, she spoke again, "Did I surprise you this morning?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I thought it was Iggy on the phone." Tak responded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey.. I've been thinking alot about you lately, Tak." Natalie confessed, "And I was hoping, you know, that we could be friends again."

"Oh? I didn't know we weren't still friends. I mean, you weren't the one I had the blow up with."

"Yeah.. that's umm.. Hey! You guys were talking about cars yesterday at school, weren't you? So, can you drive, Tak?"

"Yeah. Matter of fact, I got my license last month."

"That's so cool!" Natalie held her hands behind her back as she walked alongside Tak, "We should go on a long drive during summer vacation!"

"What?" Tak blinked.

"I'll make you a deal. You do the driving and I'll bring all the munchies."

"Well, sounds cool. But it's really used for buisness and it's not the greatest car."

She laughed, closing her eyes and smiling, "That's not important. It has a CD Player, doesn't it?" she looked up at him, "What difference does it make what the car looks like, anyway? It has four wheels and a motor."

"I guess."

"This'll be so great!" she giggled, holding her arms out as she ran up another set of stairs, "We'll go far away!"

Tak just watched her, a bored expression on his face. He ended up following her, anyway, and the pair walked past a shrine.

"Hey, wait a second! Yeah! I know! We can go to the ocean! It'll be summer so we can swim!"

**.: **** :.**

Cole drove by the Fujiwara Tofu Shop in his S13.

Putting the car in reverse, he backed up so that his car was infront of the delivery car on the side of the shop. "There's an Eight-Six. No doubt about it."

_"If you wanna know the fastest car on Akina, you're talking about the Eight-Six from the tofu shop." _His boss' words echoed in his mind as Cole stepped out of his S13, standing infront of the Eight-Six with one hand in his pocket.

_This one, the fastest on Akina? It's just a junky old Eight-Six. Looks like an early GT Apex model. Totally stock except the fog lights,_ he thought, _There's no way this old heap could be faster than the latest machines. _"What was I thinking? Searching the whole city just to find this piece of trash?"

"Hey. Cole? Is that you?" Tak had just walked up, seeing Cole standing infront of his dad's car.

"Huh, wha?" Cole turned around, surprised. "Hey, Tak!"

"I wasn't supposed to work today, was I?"

"Uhhh, no, uhh.. Is this your place?"

Tak looked at the shop before looking back at Cole. "Yeah."

**.: **** :.**

"Uh, Cole? I'm still not sure what you were doing at my house." Tak said, resting his cheek against his fist. He was riding in the passenger seat of Cole's S13.

"Right, yeah. I had a few things to pick up in the neighborhood, so I stopped by." he answered, before glancing at Tak, "Alright, Tak, you gotta level with me. When you said you didn't know anything about cars, were you being straight up?"

"Huh?"

They came to a stop at the red light.

"Yesterday you said you had no clue what an Eight-Six was, but that ride next to your house was an Eight-Six."

"What? No way, you must of been looking at another car. My dad's car isn't an Eight-Six. I looked at the back," Tak's eyes shifted to the window as he thought back before his eyes shifted over to Cole, "I'm pretty sure it says Trueno or something."

"Exactly. A Trueno is an Eight-Six." Cole stared at Tak blankly, like he couldn't believe that Tak didn't know that, "It's the AE86 Chassie Levin and Trueno more commonly known as the Eight-Six."

"What?" Tak stared blankly back, not understanding what Cole was telling him.

**.: **** :.**

"What? All this time Tak has an Eight-Six at his place? Is this some kind of joke, Cole?" Iggy clung to Cole's arm, face twisted in disbelief. Tak was standing off to the side, bored, as he waited for another customer to show up at the gas station where the three worked. Jay was there, as well. But she was sitting just inside the building, drinking a soda. She didn't actually work there, but she tended to stop by and help out when she had nothing better to do.

"Nope. No joke."

"Tak, you bonehead!" Iggy punched Tak's cheek, just hard enough for him to feel it. "Why did you keep this secret from me?"

"I didn't keep it a secret," Tak let his hand cover the cheek that had just been hit by his over excited monkey of a friend, "I didn't even know what it was. It says Trueno on it, I figured it was a Trueno, you say it's an Eight-Six, I just read the label."

Jay, who had walked out of the building just as Tak began to speak, let a grin come to her lips at how annoyed Iggy was getting, how smug Cole looked, and how clueless Tak was.

"Why you I oughta..." Iggy's hands balled into fists infront of him, teeth clenched in annoyance.

Tak held his fists up as well, until Iggy moved to stand behind him, one hand cupping his mouth while the other held onto Tak's shoulder. "Listen, Old buddy, I was thinking you could do us a favor. Ask your pops if you can bag the Eight-Six for a bit next saturday night."

"What for?"

Iggy turned slightly blue, "Are you an idiot? So we can go watch the SpeedStars and the RedSuns battle it out on Akina! That's what for. After we watched all that go down last night, I am so stoked on street racing." Cole, who was listening in, nodded in the background, happy that Iggy was taking such a liking to street racing. He probably figured that he had alot to do with it. "Come on~ Don't you want to watch Akagi's fastest drivers, the Takahashi brothers?"

Tak looked away, "No, not really."

Next thing, Iggy had a hold on Tak's throat, choking him, "What? You loser! How can you say that! You know how clutch this is to me?" He released his grip, and Tak breathed in much needed air as his best friend got on his knees, hands held together as if he was praying, "Alright, I'm begging. Let me ride in your Eight-Six on saturday night. Please~?"

"Hey, Iggy. You can propose marriage later. There's a customer waiting." The Boss appeared, a slightly annoyed look on his face. Jay covered her mouth to keep from busting out laughing at the boss' comment.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Iggy murmured.

"Can we help you?" The pair chorused to the customer who had just pulled up. Boss let a smile come to his face at the pair, and Jay felt herself doing the same. No matter how annoying they may be, it was impossible to hate them.

**.: **** :.**

Work was over and Cole was sitting in the storage garage working on his car. He was sat on the concrete next to his back left tire, legs crossed indian style. Two of the SpeedStars, who had come up in Kenji's car just a few minutes before, stood behind him.

"You're putting four new tires on?" Kenji asked, arms folded over his chest. "Must of set you back a bit."

"Yeah, a little. But I need the high grip tires to try and reduce my times. I'm also going to replace the breakpads. Braking is the crucial element when you're running the downhill."

"Does this mean you're running, Cole?" The other nameless male asked.

"Yeah. Nothing's gonna stop me. I'm gonna attack Akina like I've got a death wish."

"You better be careful. One slight mistake on the downhill and you'll get that wish." Kenji commented.

"Yeah, I know. I know the risks. But I'm gonna have to really push it this time. Our rep is on the line."

Cole had the determination to destroy the Akagi RedSuns, but that determination might just end up being his own destruction.

**.: **** :.**

"Wow. That's the drift king. Check it out, he's amazing!" Iggy and Cole were sitting inside the gas station during their brake, watching the drift king on TV. Both of them were only about a foot away from the TV screen, eyes glued to the king of drift. Tak was sitting farther away, reading a magazine. Jay was sitting on the same couch as Cole, close to Tak. She was listening to what was said, but her closed purple eyes were covered by her hat.

"Looks like he can control it with just the gas pedal." Cole was amazed.

"Hey, Tak. Don't you wish we could go out there right now and drift just as easy as the drift king does?"

"Sure." he answered absentmindedly, looking through the magazine in his hand, but not really reading it.

"Check out this guy's technique! Way cool!"

"Sure."

"Huh?" Iggy turned around to look at Tak, his confusion quickly turning to annoyance. "You listening to me?"

"Sure." he finally looked up, "huh?"

"You don't got a clue what we're talking about. I'll bet you don't even know what a drift is."

"O-Of course I know what a drift is."

Cole turned to look at him, as well. Iggy crossed his arms over his chest, "Alright, . 'splain it to me. I'm all ears."

The boss had also entered the room, and stood behind the chair that Tak sat in, taking a drag from the cigarette he held between his fingers. He was looking on with a hint of amusement.

"Uhh.. well.. see, in a curve - " Tak started, only to be interupted by Iggy, who felt the need to 'correct' him.

"Don't use the word 'curve', it's uncool. Street racers just say _corner_."

"Oh.. yeah, okay then. In a corner, all you have to do is make the front tires slide along," he held his hands up like he was turning the steering wheel. "so that the car doesn't face the inside."

"Heh?" Iggy and Cole looked at each other before clutching their stomachs with laughter. "Tak, that's hysterical! If the front tires are sliding, that's called under steer, which is totally wack! It's for people with zero skillage!"

"A real racer knows that a true drift isn't in the front, bro, it's in the rear." Cole told him, tears pricking the corners of his eyes due to the excessive amount of laughter. "That was pretty funny, Tak."

"Yeah, you should do stand up comedy."

_Sorry Cole_, Boss thought, his eyes stuck on Tak, _but you're the one who doesn't get it. In the middle of a drift the car is basically under steering. Tak's answer was the right one! Atleast for someone who's highly advanced and has mastered the four wheel drift. Impressive. _"Alright, let's get to work! We got a customer!"

"Oh, right!" Tak stood up, heading outside to greet the customer, "Welcome!" he bowed, "Right this way!"

Cole put his hat back on, following after Tak. He was shocked to see the familiar yellow FD pull up. Jay had come out, as well upon seeing the car and stood behind them, observing.

_An FD. Could it be KT?_, Cole thought.

Tak walked over to the driver's side, where the blonde had rolled down the window. "High octane. And fill it up."

"Right." While the gas was being automatically pumped into the car, Cole and Tak took to washing the windows of the yellow FD.

"You've got quite the ride there." Cole said suddenly, gaining the attention of the blonde, who seemed to be deep in thought until he had spoken.

"Huh?" his eyes shifted towards the open window, where Cole stood; he was washing the front windshield. The blonde's eyes shifted to Cole's S13 that sat off to the side. "I get it. I thought I'd seen that S13 somewhere before. The SpeedStars, am I right?" his index finger tapped against the gear shift, "Let me ask you a question. I figure if anyone knows the answer, you should." Cole looked over, cautious about what the blonde would ask. Jay's curiousity was hightened, as well, as she listened closely to what he said. "Is there a Ghost racer on Mt. Akina? A ghost who drives a super fast Eight-Six?"

Jay's purple orbs narrowed into a glare at the oblivious blonde.

"That's weird. This guy plannin' to fly?" Tak asked himself as he saw the wing on the back of the blonde's FD. He hadn't heard a word that KT had uttered, not to the surprise of Jay.

"Sorry, dude, but I don't know anything about ghosts around here." Cole responded as he folded the rag he had used on the windows.

"Hmm. Okay, the part about the ghost was a joke. But there's a black and white panda trueno. On the outside, it's a normal Eight-Six, but on the inside this thing's an incredible beast. You live around here, you can't tell me you never heard of it!"

Cole remained silent. Jay's eyes narrowed further. What was it about this blonde that pissed her off so bad? His cocky attitude? His money? His tone? Or maybe it was more simple than that. Maybe it was just because he was one of the famous Takahashi brothers.

"Alright then. If that's the secret weapon you're planning for this Saturday's meet, that's cool with me. Tell the driver of the Eight-Six I've got a message for him: I've never lost to the same driver two times in a row."

"Huh?" Cole was shocked.

Jay smirked; a mocking smirk.

"I only dropped this last time because I didn't know the course." he continued.

"Didn't know the course, my fucking ass." Jay scoffed, not caring that the blonde had heard her. He glanced at her before continuing.

"It won't happen again, he's going down." With that, the blonde took off, sending one last glare at Jay.

Her smirk widened, _Already... already he's taken out one of the famous Takahashi brothers. That's my Tak~_

"Thanks for coming!" Tak bowed as the FD took off down the street.

_Keisuke Takahashi lost? What's he talking about?, _Cole was confused, anyone would be, _I don't know anything about an Eight-Six._ Suddenly, it hit him. His eyes widened as he turned around to look at Tak who looked at him confused, _Could it be? The Eight-Six I saw at Tak's house! It was a panda Trueno! Was the boss really telling the truth? Is that Eight-Six.. still the fastest on the downhill?_

**.: **_**Initial D**_** :.**

The sound of Tak's alarm clock beeping managed to wake up both Tak and Jay (who was sleeping in the next room). The clock read 4:45 AM.

After washing their faces, both teens headed outside where Bunta was waiting. Tak got into the driver's seat, starting up the car. Jay hopped into the passenger seat, letting a yawn pass her lips. He reved up the car, turning the foglights on while Bunta grabbed a paper cup, using the water hose to fill it with water. He dumped a small amount out before heading to the driver's side and handing the cup to Tak.

"Alright. This is the haul for today."

"Hmm?" Tak stared at the water for a minute before looking at his father, a look of annoyance crossing his face, "You fill it a little higher every time."

"That's right. Just don't spill any."

"Yeah, Yeah. I get it." Tak set the cup in the cup holder before taking off. He tackled the uphill, speed gradually increasing. As he came to the corner, he hit the brakes, shifting gears as he began to drift. His eyes moved to the water in the cup that rolled around the rim. Jay smirked, yawning again and pulling the hat down over her eyes. She loved Tak driving, because it gave her a chance to rest before they got to the hotel.

As he exited the turn, the water returned to normal and his eyes returned to the road. The same happened with each turn until they reached the top.

**.: **** :.**

"You look wiped out, man. It's all over your face."

"Yeah, whatever. It's probably just leftover breakfast."

"I'm telling you for the umpteenth time." Iggy got into Tak's face as they stood infront of the lockers, "Don't forget the Eight-Six on Saturday."

"Yeah, I know." he pushed him back, "Back off a little, will ya?"

"I figure if I don't keep pouding it in to ya, you might get chicken feet and bail on me. Oh! I can't wait 'til Saturday gets here!" Sparkles appeared around Iggy's head, "I'm so pumped! This is gonne be sweet." Tak went to walk off, but was stopped by Iggy grabbing his shoulder. "Listen. If both of us shoot to become street racers, maybe someday you and I will be known as the fastest drivers on Akina."

"Look, I gotta tell ya, Iggy, I don't really care either way." And his voice and expression proved that.

"Well, yeah. I can understand that comin' from a dude like you. After seeing you spaz out in Cole's car like that it's obvious you're a total newbie."

"Ugh."

"I on the other hand, am kickin'. Yeah, I admit I was a little tweeked when we were comin' through the corner, but I sucked it up and faced it like a man would, ya know?" By this time, Tak had already walked away, leaving Iggy to talk to himself. This gained the stares of the fellow students who stood around him, pointing and laughing. "Even Cole seems to be down with me. I guess he realizes that your chances are nill, but he must think that I'm going to be one badass driver. Yeehaw! Heh?" He looked from side to side, "Eh? Tak! Hey, where'd ya go?" He took off in search of his best friend, who was climbing the stairs inside the school building.

"Hey, hold up!" he hopped up to the same step Tak was on. Jay appeared behind them, having just turned the corner to go up the stairs. "What's the matter with you? I know you're a little jealous of my talent, but you don't have to up and ditch me."

"I'm not..."

Both of their attention trailed off as two girls came walking down the steps. From their current position, they were low enough on the stairs to get a panty shot just as the girls walked down from the top of the stairs. Being the hormonal teenagers that they were (yes, even Tak), the pair watched in amazement, as if that was the most amazing thing they had ever seen. Small lines of pink were visible on Tak's cheeks.

Jay grunted in annoyance at the perversion of the pair, facepalming.

"You see that?" Iggy began, as the two girls disappeared around the corner.

"You some kind of a pervert or somethin'?" Tak asked, looking at Iggy.

Jay sweatdropped, _You were just doing the same thing!_

"Huh? Of course not! What do you think I am, it should be against the law to let babes wear their skirts that short!"

Even Tak knew Iggy was speaking bullshit, from the disbelieving look on his face. Jay was more than happy to wear the boys' uniform, to avoid such dumbasses, but the school said if she came to school in the boys' uniform one more time... well, she'd have detention for the rest of her life. And she was too lazy for that.

"I think the school should make a new rule that - " he stopped mid sentence, hitting Tak's shoulder with his own. Both boys looked up with predatory eyes at the girl that stood at the top of the stairs. When she stopped walking, both boys looked up to see who it actually was.

"Hi, Tak, how's it goin'?" Natalie waved her hand, a smile on her face.

"Uhhh.. Natalie!" Both boys leaned back slightly, surprised to see her.

"Oh, perfect timing! I want to talk to you, come on, Tak, hurry!" She grabbed Tak's wrist and pulled him away.

"Uhh, well, hey, I was just - !"

"That blows! Why doesn't that kind of thing ever happen to me?" Iggy complained.

_Gee, I wonder why,_ Jay rolled her eyes.

**.: **** :.**

_I know these corners so well, but now they begin to show their fangs. I'm trying to push myself to the max, but I still can't get down my times. I thought for sure that if I was just a bit heavy on the throttle, I would be able to trim the clock, but it's not working! Have I tapped the limit of my ability? There's no way I can compete with them!_

Cole had stopped off on the side of the road, sitting on the ground and leaning against the side of his S13. He had been practicing, trying to reduce his times. But the practice was getting him no where fast.

**.: **** :.**

"Hello? Anyone here?" Cole had stopped at the Fujiwara Tofu Shop, entering the building, "'Scuse me?" _Jeez. _"Anyone?"

"Yeah, I heard ya. Gimme a minute." Bunta responded from the doorway to the house.

"Sure."

"What can I get ya?" He asked, walking in to stand a few feet infront of Cole, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips, as it usually did.

_This is the driver of the Eight-Six? The fastest on Akina? You gotta be kidding! This guy beat KT's FD?_

"What're you gonna have? Hello?"

"Uhh, uhh, uhh.." Cole scanned over the items quickly before pointing to one, "Fried Tofu, please."

"You got it."

_Real smooth move there, Cole_, he thought, his hand resting on the back of his neck. "Listen. I uhh... My name is Cole and I'm with a street racing team called the Akina SpeedStars. I... The truth is, I heard a rumor that the fastest downhill driver on Akina is an Eight-Six driven by a guy who owns a Tofu Shop."

"I don't know where you heard that story, but it's not me. 'Fraid I can't help ya."

"Look, this is really important. I scoped out the whole city and I know this is the only tofu shop around with an Eight-Six."

"Here ya go." Bunta held out the bag of fried tofu. "Buck twenty-five."

"Uhh, oh yeah." Cole reached into his pocket, taking out the money.

"Bye, bye."

"Look, the thing is.. I'm in a bit of a jam. Come on, man! Won't you atleast hear me out?"

"I'm a little busy right now."

"What are you talking about? I'm the only one in the joint, It's dead in here!"

Bunta stepped back, knowing that Cole had a point. He regained his composure seconds later, "I admit it's a little slow, but that's a pretty rude thing to say."

"Sorry, it's just that I'm a little desperate." he rubbed the back of his head, "Okay, listen. A team called the Akagi RedSuns challenged us to a time attack battle. The RedSuns have some drivers on their team with some serious skills. Nobody on our team can even come close to competeting with them. But this is our turf, our mountain, and there's no way we're gonna lose on it!" his fists clenched.

"Okay, but what do you expect me to do about it?"

", I want you to show me what it takes to tackle ."

Bunta lit the cigarette that was in his mouth, exhaling smoke before speaking, "I'm sorry, but that's impossible."

"Anything you could show me! Even if you could make me a tenth of a second faster. I'm begging you!"

"I know how you're feeling, son, but driving technique is not something you study for a day or two like a math test. In order to get the car to do what you want, you have to live and breathe the course twenty-four-seven. You know, when I was actively racing I was running Akina even in my dreams. Technique is something that can be neither taught nor learned. You have to find it inside yourself."

Cole, realizing his defeat, walked outside to his car. Bunta followed.

"Sorry about that. I wish I could help ya out."

"Don't be sorry, I'll be back." Cole promised before getting into his S13 and taking off.

He may have lost that battle, but he'd be back for more.

**.: **** :.**

_Live and breathe the course, twenty-four-seven. I've done that! But it hasn't done squat! I don't get it, why can't I get better?_

Cole hit the break, drifting around the corner. What he didn't expect was the oncoming car that headed his way. His eyes widened in shock and horror as his foot hit the break. _Look out! Move to the inside!_

The other driver, who was also panicked, moved to the inside lane, managing to miss the S13.

Just as Cole gave a sigh of relief, his attention moved forward and he let out a scream of surprise and fear; he was heading right for the guard rail...


End file.
